Yieldable joint for water meters and the like



Patented Nov. 13, i923.

. Uhill FRANK LAMBERT, OF'BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

YIELDABLE J'OTNT FOR WATER METERS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed December 30, 1921. Serial No. 526,042.

To aZZ whome'tmag concern: able gasket 8 is interposed between the Be it known that I, FRANK LAMBERT, a flanges.

citizen of the United States, and a resident I will first describe the form of joint of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

5 New York, have invented certain new and The flange 1 of the section A is provided useful Improvements in Yieldable Joints with openings l, suitably spaced around the for \Vater Meters and the like, of which circumference of the casing. The openings the following is a full, clear, and exact specil are provided with countersinks 5 adapted fioation to receive washers 6. Suitable fastening 10 My invention relates generally to yield devices, such as bolts 7 having heads 8, pass able joints and is particularly adapted for through the holes in the washers 6 into use in water-meter casings to permit separascrew-threaded holes in the flange 2 of the tion of the casing parts under excessive caslng. The screw-threaded engagement bepressure, as when the water in the meter tween the bolts and the bolt holes in the 15 freezes V flange 2 is preferably free and loose, so as to In carrying out the objects of my invenprevent the bolts from being strained and tion, I employ an element (usually a twisted when the casing separates under exwasher) of deformable or malleable mate- QSSIV In nal pressure. rial arranged to engage the head of a bolt By countersinking the openings 4 and 20 01' other fastening member and adapted to seating the washers 6 in the countersinks 5,

be drawn into an inoperative or releasing the washers are automatically centralized position when the casing is subjected to with respect to the bolts 7 and openings 4. undue internal pressure. For the purpose The washers 6 are preferably provided with of explaining my invention, 1 have shown hubs 9 around the hole, thereby affording 2 the same applied to a water-meter casing, it better cont-act with the bolts.

being understood that the invention is not' The Washers 6 are made of a material limited to such use. adapted to give way under excessive pres- In the accompanying drawings, sure. Broadly speaking, such material may Fig. 1 is a transverse cross-section of a be described as malleable or deformable, and

so conventional form of watermeter casing I may mention brass, copper, pure tin or a provided with a preferred form of my new composition of tin and lead. If the washers 8 joint, the parts being shown in normal poare made of brass and copper they can be sition; V annealed, so as to 'make them more malle- Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view able. The metals and alloys just mentioned 35 in cross-section of the joint shown in Fig. 1; are glven here merely by way of illustra- Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showtion, for it is obvious that the washers may ing the position of the parts when the joint be made of any material, preferably not is separated; 1 easily oxidizable, which yields or deforms Fig. 4 is a view similar'to Fig. 2, showing under predetermined pressure.

40 a modified form of washer in which the The operation of my new joint is as flange extends to the gasket; follows: After the washers and bolts are Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in place in the assembling of the parts, the

in cross-section, showing another form of bolts 7 are tightened preferably to a prejoint, the parts being in normal position; determined'limit. This may readily be ac- 45 and V V complished by using a wrench which per- Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showmlts tighteningof the bolts only a certain ing the parts in separated position. amount. An instance of such a fixed-ten- The meter casing shown in the drawings sion wrench, as I may call it, is shown in consists of sections A and B adapted to form my Patent No. 1,388,866, dated August 30,

50 a closed casing. It is obvious that any suit- 1921. The size and thickness of the washers able form or construction of meter casing G are such that they safely withstand the may be employed. The upper section A is normal pressure of the bolts 7. Under ex provided with a flange 1 and the lower seccessive pressure within the casing, as when tion B has a corresponding flange 2. A suitthe water in the meter freezes, the malleable ill or deformable washers 6 give way or collapse and are drawn into the openings 4c of the section A, as shown in Fig. 3. The openings 4: are large enough to receive the heads 8 of the bolts 7 and the deformed washers 6. To facilitate the deforming of the r conditions. This separation of the parts is necessary to compensate for the 8311721115103 due to the formation of ice and to prevent injury or deformation of the casing or internal mechanism of the meter. As this internal mechanism forms no part of my invention and is well understood by those skilled in the art, I have not deemed it necessary to show or describe the same.

In Fig. el, the washer 6 is provided with a hub 9 having a flange 9 adapted to rest on the gasket 3. This renders the use of a special or fixed-tension wrench unnecessary.

In the slightly modified form shown in Figs. 5 and 6, I do away with the countersinks for the openings 4; and provide the washers 6 with a centralizing shoulder 11 adapted to it in the openings 4-. The shoulder 11 may terminate in a hub 9 around the hole of the washer. As the operation of the washers G" is the same as that'of the washers previously described, no further description of Figs. 5 and 6 is necessary.

I It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a very simple and inexpensive joint which automatically separates under excessive pressure. It is plain that the diameter of the openings 4E relatively to the diameter of the bolt heads 8 may be varied. The deformable washers will be elongated more or less according to the difference between those two diameters. Also, this difference of diameter can be adjusted in accordance with the hardness and thickness of the material of which the washers are made. In this way it is very easy to construct a joint in which the washers will yield under pressure beyond a predetermined limit.

Although I have herein shown and described a specific form of joint, it is obvious that the broad idea of my invention may be mechanically carried out in other ways than here set forth.

hat I claim as in i 1. A casing comp 1g two sections, one of said sections having a plurality of openings, deformable washers mounted over said openings. and headed fastening members passing through said washers and openings invention is into engagement with the other section, said openings being so much larger than the heads of said members that under excessive pressure said washers and heads are forced into or through said openings.

2. A casing comprising two sections, one of said se tions having a plurality of open ings, deformable washers mounted over said openings, means for holding each washer centrally over the corresponding opening, and headed fastening members passing through said washers and openings into engagement with the other section, said openbeing so much larger than the heads said members that under excessive pres sure said washers and heads are forced into or through said openings.

3. In a yieldable joint, a pair of joint members, a bolt extending through an opening in one member into engagement with the other member, and a'deformable element arranged in said opening and adapted to be drawn into the opening under excessive pressure.

l. In a yieldable joint, a pair of joint members, a bolt extending through an opening in one member into engagement with the other member, a deformable element arranged in said opening and adapted to be drawn into the opening under excessive pressure, and means for holding said element centrally over the openin 7 r 5. A casing comprising two sections, one of said sections having a plurality of openings, deformable washers mounted over said openings, said washers being provided with hub around the hole thereof, and headed fasteningmembers passing through said washers and openings int-o engagement with the other section, said openings being so much larger than the heads of said i members that under excessive pressure said washers and heads are forced into or through said openings.

6. A casing comprising two sections, one of said sections having a plurality of openings, deformable washers mounted over said openings and provided with centralizing shoulders, and headed fastening members passing through said washers and openings into engagement with the other section, said openings being so much larger than the heads of said members that under excessive pressure said washers and heads are forced into or through said openings.

7. In a yieldable joint, a pair of joint members, bolts for holding said members together, and bendable washers interposed between. the heads of said bolts and one of saidmemloers in such a way that under excessive pressure the boltheads bend the outer periphery of the washers out of holding engagement with said member to permit separation of the joint members.

8. In a yielda-ble joint, a pair of joint members, one of said members having a circular engaging shoulder, a deformable Washer so arranged on said last-mentioned member as 'to engage said member only along said circular shoulder at the outer edge or periphery of the Washer, and means operable under excessive pressure for removing the outer edge of said washer from said shoulder and thereby rendering the holding engagement between said last-mentioned member and said Washer inoperative to permit separation of said members.

9. A casing comprising two sections, a gasket interposed between said sections, one of said sections having a plurality of open ings, bolts extending through said openings into engagement With the other section, and

deformable Washers mounted in said openings and provided With hubs adapted to rest on said gasket, said Washers being adapted to be drawn into said openings under excessive pressure in the casing.

10. A casing comprising two sections, a gasket interposed between said sections, one of said sections having a plurality of openings, bolts extending through said openings into engagement With the other section, and deformable Washers mounted in said openings and provided With hubs Which terminate in flanges adapted to rest on said gasket, said Washers being adapted to be drawn into said openings under excessive pressure in the casing.

FRANK LAMBERT. 

